Nestle says 413,793 KitKat bars stolen during shipment

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A large shipment of KitKat chocolate bars was stolen while being transported from Italy to Poland, says Nestle.

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The Swiss-based food and beverage company, which owns the KitKat brand, said in a statement on Friday that a “truck transporting 413,793 units of its new chocolate range has been stolen during transit in Europe.”

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The shipment, which is estimated to weigh around 12 tonnes, vanished while being transported between production and distribution locations, said Nestle.

KitKat shortage

“We’ve always encouraged people to have a break with KitKat,” a Nestle spokesperson said, a reference to the confection’s signature catchphrase.

“But it seems thieves have taken the message too literally and made a break with more than 12 tonnes of our chocolate.”

Nestle warned that the theft may lead to a shortage of KitKats in stores, stating customers may “struggle to find their favourite chocolates ahead of Easter.”

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The stolen truck had left central Italy and was making its way to Poland, with a plan to distribute the chocolate in countries along the travel route.

The confectionery company didn’t disclose where the sweet goods had gone missing, but noted the truck and its contents “remain unaccounted for.”

Candy can be traced

The missing chocolate bars could potentially enter “unofficial sales channels” across Europe. Nestle said all products can be traced through a unique batch code assigned to individual bars.

The company said wholesalers, consumers and retailers are able to identify the stolen product by scanning one of the batch numbers. If a match is found, the scanner will be given clear instructions on how to alert Nestle, the company said.

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The missing candy bars could enter unofficial sales channels across European markets, the company said, but if this does happen, all products can be traced using the unique batch code assigned to individual bars.

“Whilst we appreciate the criminals’ exceptional taste, the fact remains that cargo theft is an escalating issue for businesses of all sizes,” Nestle said.

“With more sophisticated schemes being deployed on a regular basis, we have chosen to go public with our own experience in the hope that it raises awareness of an increasingly common criminal trend,” the company added.

— With files from The Associated Press and AFP

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